Meditate

11. The Tower of Babel

The Tower of Babel

11

Now the whole earth had one language and the same words.²And as they migrated from the east, they came upon a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.³And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar.⁴Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.”⁵The Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which mortals had built.⁶And the Lord said, “Look, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.⁷Come, let us go down, and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.”⁸So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city.⁹Therefore it was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.

Descendants of Shem

¹⁰ These are the descendants of Shem. When Shem was one hundred years old, he became the father of Arpachshad two years after the flood;¹¹and Shem lived after the birth of Arpachshad five hundred years, and had other sons and daughters.

¹² When Arpachshad had lived thirty-five years, he became the father of Shelah;¹³and Arpachshad lived after the birth of Shelah four hundred three years, and had other sons and daughters.

¹⁴ When Shelah had lived thirty years, he became the father of Eber;¹⁵and Shelah lived after the birth of Eber four hundred three years, and had other sons and daughters.

¹⁶ When Eber had lived thirty-four years, he became the father of Peleg;¹⁷and Eber lived after the birth of Peleg four hundred thirty years, and had other sons and daughters.

¹⁸ When Peleg had lived thirty years, he became the father of Reu;¹⁹and Peleg lived after the birth of Reu two hundred nine years, and had other sons and daughters.

²⁰ When Reu had lived thirty-two years, he became the father of Serug;²¹and Reu lived after the birth of Serug two hundred seven years, and had other sons and daughters.

²² When Serug had lived thirty years, he became the father of Nahor;²³and Serug lived after the birth of Nahor two hundred years, and had other sons and daughters.

²⁴ When Nahor had lived twenty-nine years, he became the father of Terah;²⁵and Nahor lived after the birth of Terah one hundred nineteen years, and had other sons and daughters.

²⁶ When Terah had lived seventy years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

Descendants of Terah

²⁷ Now these are the descendants of Terah. Terah was the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran was the father of Lot.²⁸Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans.²⁹Abram and Nahor took wives; the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah. She was the daughter of Haran the father of Milcah and Iscah.³⁰Now Sarai was barren; she had no child.

³¹ Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan; but when they came to Haran, they settled there.³²The days of Terah were two hundred five years; and Terah died in Haran.

5. Peace and Joy

Results of Justification

 5

Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,²through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.³And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,⁴and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,⁵and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

26. Psalm 26

Psalm 26

Plea for Justice and Declaration of Righteousness

Of David.

1

Vindicate me, O Lord,

for I have walked in my integrity,

and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.

2

Prove me, O Lord, and try me;

test my heart and mind.

3

For your steadfast love is before my eyes,

and I walk in faithfulness to you.

4

I do not sit with the worthless,

nor do I consort with hypocrites;

5

I hate the company of evildoers,

and will not sit with the wicked.

6

I wash my hands in innocence,

and go around your altar, O Lord,

7

singing aloud a song of thanksgiving,

and telling all your wondrous deeds.

8

O Lord, I love the house in which you dwell,

and the place where your glory abides.

9

Do not sweep me away with sinners,

nor my life with the bloodthirsty,

10

those in whose hands are evil devices,

and whose right hands are full of bribes.

11

But as for me, I walk in my integrity;

redeem me, and be gracious to me.

12

My foot stands on level ground;

in the great congregation I will bless the Lord.